The collapse of “peace talks” between Russia and Ukraine in Geneva is a moment to be celebrated. But Europe’s politicians may need a stiff drink to fortify them for what is to come after Volodymyr Zelensky described what America deal-brokers were doing as “unfair”.

The entire process has been a mafia-style shakedown of Ukraine and her allies by the US and Russia, who have weaponised lies about the whole bloody process – from the causes of the war to the prescriptions for ending it.

In Pavlohrad, the Big Lie for internal refugees from Russia’s “meat grinder” operations in the east is that he sent forces to rescue them from Ukrainian nationalists. That he sent Russian soldiers to save Russian speakers from oblivion under Kyiv.

Nikolai Klymenko, 56, sits wheezing on the edge of a bed in the government-run relief coordination centre in the city, an hour’s drive from the front lines.

A former soldier in the Soviet army, he fought in Kandahar, Jalalabad and elsewhere during Moscow’s efforts to prop up a communist regime in Kabul in the 1980s. He says he was decorated for bravery and blown up by a booby-trap in Kandahar and has the scars to prove it.

“I had a hole in my head you could put your finger in,” he says of his service to the Kremlin.

Nikolai speaks Russian as a mother tongue. He fled Moscow’s invaders from Dobropilla in the summer, then found himself in Druzhkivka, south of Kramatorsk, as Russian missiles and drones expanded their attacks on civilians.

“I ended up begging for cigarettes outside the hospital. So I came here,” he says.

The nearby relief centre, Lilia Zemliana, a refugee from Donetsk province, which Putin has already illegally annexed even though about a third of it isn’t in Russian hands.

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Since the centre opened in 2024, two years after Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 44,000 people have come through its doors. They’re helped with food, documents, psychological support and accommodation locally or deep into the west of the country.

Almost all of them would have been Russian speakers – the people Putin said he was trying to save.

Oleh Nemchenko, a miner from Dobropillia, is not among the refugees. His body is in a hole in the ground near the coal mining pit head. He and his wife, Iryna, hung on as Russian forces bombarded the town.

“I was lighting a fire in our stove and he went out for a cigarette. I don’t know what happened next and cannot remember. The next thing I found myself outside looking at his dead body in the street,” she says, rolling her eyes when asked about Putin coming to the rescue of Ukraine’s Russian speakers.

Donald Trump has often repeated the Putin claim that Ukraine would not have suffered an invasion if it had not looked to join Nato. But Russia invaded in 2014 – Ukraine has formally pursued Nato membership only since 2019 and as a result of Moscow’s invasion.

But giving an excuse to Russia for its attacks on its neighbour, which Putin has said is a “fake country” and must be brought back into the Russian imperium as a province with no national sovereignty, has encouraged Trump to end military support for Kyiv.

And it has enabled his first shakedown of the country, when Trump used the cut in aid and other threats to force Ukraine into signing a mineral deal under duress last year.

Trump has been keen to get a peace deal in Ukraine, but he has parroted Russia’s demands. Recently, he insisted that time was running out for Ukraine and Zelensky to agree on a deal or lose the offer of vague “security guarantees” to protect the country from future Russian attacks.

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Ukraine’s president has shown a talent for telling the White House “yes, but no”. Now he has finally said “no”.

No to the constant requirement that Ukraine continue to make concessions to its invaders, which he described this week at the Munich Security Conference as “unfair”.

Security guarantees from the US, a nation that has not ruled out invading Greenland (part of Denmark) and wants to annex Canada, are worth nothing.

The US is part of Nato and has signed treaties to that effect. Its armed forces are the leading part of Nato, its intelligence organisations bound into a security alliance with, among others, Canada – and yet Donald Trump is happy to ignore these pre-existing guarantees.

The US is an unreliable ally of Europe. And the Trump administration has seen Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a business opportunity.

It has been happy to undermine Kyiv’s defences with a total cut in military aid and may sever intelligence sharing links. These actions have favoured the Kremlin’s brutally slow advance in the east of Ukraine and blunted any chance of a serious counteroffensive.

US cuts in military aid came after Washington had given, or pledged, about $115bn. Europe has pledged about double that.

But there have been no Europeans at the talks between Ukraine and Russia. So far, the UK, Canada, the EU and other allies of Ukraine have left mediation to the US.

They all recognise that this is dangerous, is a proposal for Ukrainian capitulation, and a danger to Europe. They do this because of another lie or myth. It is only the US that can give Ukraine the security guarantees it needs to protect itself (and the rest of the West).

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British generals and top brass trot this out as fact. Ukraine is fortunate that it did not listen to their western military experts who said it would take days for Putin to capture Kyiv.

Four years later, Russia has lost 1.2 million killed and injured, Nato has expanded to include Finland and Sweden, and Russia’s economy is contracting.

Speaking before the latest round of Russian-Ukrainian US-sponsored talks, Kaja Kallas, the EU vice president, said: “The greatest threat Russia presents right now is that it gains more at the negotiating table that it has achieved on the battlefield. Europe is rearming and doing so together with our friends.”

Europe can already muster (along with Ukraine) a far bigger army, more aircraft, ships, tanks, artillery and sheer military power than Russia.

But there is no sign that its leaders are prepared to elbow the US out of negotiations or put their soldiers to the hard task of explaining to voters that they’ll have to pay a lot more for a safe future that America will no longer guarantee or fund.

They’ll need a nip of Ukrainian firewater for that.

Stylish and versatile, shoppers say the pencil pleat curtains “really warm up the room”

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Finding the right curtains is more than just an interior design choice, it can also be help sleep. Light pollution from streetlamps or the sun can disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm, the internal clock that tells us when to sleep, and this is where blackout curtains become a game-changer.

Beyond just darkness, quality blackout curtains like Dunelm’s Rotterdam range offer thermal benefits, helping to keep the home feeling cosy in the winter and cool in summer. With prices starting from £20 for the smallest size (W 117cm x D 137cm), the ready-made collection is proving to be a big hit with shoppers.

Hailed as being ‘excellent quality and value for money’ the Rotterdam Herringbone Blackout Pencil Pleat Curtains have become a hit with homeowners. Easy to fit, they could be a good choice for anyone looking for an easy upgrade ahead of the longer days and sunnier weather.

Featuring a classic woven herringbone pattern, the curtains offer a high-end look with a powerful blackout lining. The pleated design provides a traditional, elegant drape, making them suitable for both modern and period homes.

The curtains are available in a choice of four colours – blush, mushroom, sage and steeple grey. Fully lined, the pencil pleat is easy to fit with a wide tape and variable pockets for a customisable look.

The Rotterdam Herringbone Blackout Pencil Pleat Curtains

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From £20

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With a stylish woven herringbone design, these curtains help to keep the heat in on chilly nights and rooms cool on hot summer days.

Suitable for a variety of rooms around the home, the Dunelm blackout curtains come in a range of widths and lengths, including 117cm (46″) widths paired with drops of 137cm (54″), 182cm (72″), or 228cm (90″). They are also available in a wider 168cm (66″) option with the same three drop lengths, as well as the largest 228cm (90″) width, which likewise comes with 137cm (54″), 182cm (72″), and 228cm (90″) drops.

Designed for easy care these are machine washable and can be ironed on a cool setting. Made from 62% recycled polyester, they offer a high quality look at an affordable price.

If theses curtains don’t quite fit the bill, Next is selling Blackout/Thermal Cotton Eyelet Curtains in a variety of sizes. Available in a choice of 17 different colours, prices start from £40.

Elsewhere at Habitat, the Textured Blackout Eyelet Curtains are in the sale, with 20% off all sizes. Starting from £10, they are lighter weight than the Dunelm offerings, but buyers have called them ‘good curtains for the price’.

Dunelm shoppers who have already snapped up the Rotterdam Herringbone Blackout Pencil Pleat Curtains have given then an impressive 4.4 out of five-star rating on the website. One said: “These curtains are lovely and do exactly as it says in description, they block out the street lights and morning light really well, they are very good value for money.”

Another added: “Great thermal quality. Quite thick due to the thermal lining but they really do help to keep the cold out.”

A third wrote: “Bought these in blush pink for my daughter’s room & they are lovely! Good, thick weighty curtains that hang really well. I must admit I did iron with a tea towel over them as they were creased when I unpacked them but it doesn’t seem to have d^{one any harm.”}

One buyer was less impressed, however, noting: “Not what I expected. Lovely curtains, but they are quite stiff curtains so the creases don’t come out easily.”

Another delighted shopper added: “I loved these curtains. The herringbone pattern is really nice and the colour (mushroom) is natural. They really warm up the living room.”

 The  grass cutter’s roll-over protection system had been removed before Kamil Grygieniec, 23, started his work in North Stainley near Ripon, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed.

An HSE spokesman added that his employers, MHS Countryside Management Ltd had failed to carry out a risk assessment specifically for the grass cutting operation round the pond on October 8, 2021.

The ride-on lawnmower Kamil Grygieniec was using at the pond (Image: Health and Safety Executive)

A statement on behalf of Kamil’s mother and father said: “The pain I feel every day since that tragedy is unimaginable, I do not wish that on anybody. That day I lost part of me.

“I will never be able to hug him, tell him how much I love him. I will never receive flowers from him, will never meet his wife or his children. Kamil was my physical and mental support.

“That day was his last day at that workplace and it happened to be the last day of his short life.”

“I don’t know what life holds for the future for me, but what I am certain of is it will not be as full or as happy now that Kamil has gone from our lives.

“What makes it even worse, I believe his death could have been prevented and should never have happened.”

MHS Countryside Management Ltd, of Bishop Auckland, pleaded guilty to failure to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all its employees including Mr Grygieniec of Northallerton. It was fined £27,000 and ordered to pay £11,166 in costs at York Magistrates’ Court.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Darian Dundas said: “This is a profoundly tragic case which is made all the more harrowing because the safety feature designed to prevent incidents like this had been removed from the lawnmower – leading to the fatal turn of events which has robbed a family of their loved one.

“The completion of a suitable and sufficient site-specific risk assessment is vital before undertaking work activities and ensures appropriate action can be taken to eliminate hazards or, where this is not possible, to properly control the risks.

“In this case, the failure to assess the risks and ensure suitable safety measures were in place resulted in a tragic and entirely avoidable loss of life.”

The home side, meanwhile, are on course to avoid the humiliation of having the lowest points tally in Premier League history and can ensure that unwanted record across a single season stays with Derby by springing a surprise and blowing the title race wide open. Follow Wolves vs Arsenal LIVE below with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Matt Verri at Molineux Stadium!

Artist Pete McKee is bringing his exhibition The Boy with the Leg Named Brian to grassroots venues across the UK, including Newcastle’s Cluny.

The show will arrive in Newcastle on May 17, transforming the venue into a daytime gallery experience before a ticketed performance by The Everly Pregnant Brothers in the evening.

Pete McKee, artist and musician, said: “Music is a huge part of my life, and features constantly in my work.

“In fact, it was the original dream of mine to play on Top of The Pops rather than become an artist.

“We have picked some of the most amazing venues for this tour which have played host to some of the biggest artists before they were famous.

“Grassroots music venues like this are vital for bands like mine to perform to new audiences, so I can’t wait to play on with my band in these venues too.

“I love showcasing my artwork in non-traditional spaces too, so this is going to be a real celebration of art and music.”

The daytime exhibition, free and open from noon to 5pm, will feature interactive installations and a selection of Mr McKee’s work, offering visitors a new way to experience both the art and the venue.

The tour aims to celebrate and support independent music venues and will raise awareness of the work of the Music Venue Trust.

McKee’s exhibition, previously on display at Weston Park Museum in Sheffield, attracted more than 130,000 visitors during its year-long run.

It tells the story of his childhood growing up on a council estate in 1970s and 80s Sheffield—exploring themes of loss, identity, and the cultural influence of fashion and music.

Although deeply personal, the exhibition is intended to evoke collective memories and everyday experiences familiar to audiences across the UK.

As part of the tour, Mr McKee has created a special, limited-edition poster for each venue.

Only 50 will be produced, each signed by the artist, with all profits going to the Music Venue Trust and the participating venues.

The evening will conclude with a live show by The Everly Pregnant Brothers, the comedy ukulele band known for their parodies of well-known songs.

Mr McKee is a founding member of the band, which will perform songs from their latest album, Never Mind The Ukes, Here’s The Brothers.

Following a summer of performances at festivals including Tramlines and Rock N Roll Circus, the band is enthusiastic about playing in more intimate settings.

Mr McKee said: “Independent music venues like these are really important to me, not only are they where our band plays but it is also where I have seen countless artists over the years hone their craft.

“Music venues are closing down at a frightening rate across the country and it is important that we work hard to keep them alive.

“I can’t wait to bring my exhibition to your city and show my work in these beautiful and very different spaces from a gallery.”

Evening performances are ticketed, with doors opening at 7pm.

Full tour dates and venue information are available at www.petemckee.com.

Henry VIII is not remembered as a loving husband. Any English schoolchild can recount the unpleasant fates of most of his six wives with the rhyme: “Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.” But though the end of his relationships are famous, less is known about Henry in love.

Now, a rare jewel discovered by an amateur detectorist and bought by the British Museum for the national collection may force us to reconsider the king’s brutal reputation.

The jewel is a heart-shaped locket, crafted in gold with red enamel decoration, and attached to a solid gold chain. On the face are the letters H and K linked together by the stems of a Tudor rose and a pomegranate, which was the symbol of Katharine’s Spanish royal family. It is a reasonable deduction that this remarkable jewel was connected directly to Henry and the first of his wives, Katherine of Aragon.

Katherine was the subject of Henry’s first and most shocking divorce, which precipitated England’s breach with the Roman papacy and the transformation of religion which we now know as the Reformation. In many ways Katherine also suffered the worst of the king’s personal cruelty. Although not executed, she was consigned to virtual house-arrest, much of the time separated from her only living child, Mary.

If this was indeed Henry and Katherine’s jewel it could be a vital clue to quite different moment in their relationship, and to a dimension of the king’s character that his otherwise notorious conduct has completely obscured.

In late medieval and Renaissance society, monograms – the linking of people’s initials – were often created to represent a personal connection, a marriage, a betrothal or even a secret love-match. Beneath the linked letters on the locket is the French word “Toujo(u)rs”, meaning “always” – a natural choice for a pledge between lovers. Here, the letters surely stand for Henry and Katherine.

The locket’s flower and fruit decoration seal the royal connection. The pomegranate symbol swept into English public life after the two families were joined through Henry’s marriage. Decorations for the coronation of the king and queen, just two weeks after the wedding, paired the Tudor rose with golden pomegranates. A woodblock print published to mark the occasion under the title A Joyful Meditation to All England, showed Henry and Katherine receiving their crowns under a twin canopy of the flower and the fruit.

Accounts of textiles commissioned for the royal household show dozens of different pieces – upholstery, wall-hangings, and livery to be worn by servants – all featuring the rose and the pomegranate prominently in their design.

Devoted designs

The decoration of the heart pendant is matched in a wide variety of treasures described in Henry’s household inventories. These contain descriptions of a bag of crimson satin, a silver comb case and standing cup all marked in the same way for the king and his queen. These lists also identify several collars or necklaces – described by the archaic term carkeynes – with heart-shaped pendants. One of these, coloured blue, is also inscribed, “H K”.

Henry spent prodigiously on beautiful, bespoke furnishings, but jewellery was his greatest passion. The inventories of his jewels and plate (gold, gilt and silver objets d’art) compiled shortly after his death in January 1547 record almost 4,000 individual pieces.

This Tudor heart pendant is a prime example of this level of investment. The locket itself is formed from 24-carat gold; the wide chain found with it is weighty and long – more than 40cm. Together they amount to 317 grams of precious metal. It is no wonder that the British Museum’s purchase price was £3.5 million.

It is clear from his wardrobe accounts – which record the purchase of decorative pieces for his household – that Henry took a personal interest in the material and design of many of these pieces. Surviving examples of designs for jewellery drawn by Hans Holbein, the German artist active at Henry’s court in the 1530s and early 1540s, may have come from a pattern book made to influence, or illustrate, the king’s developing tastes. He bought, or commissioned pieces, not only for his own household but also as gifts – often marking the new year – to family members and court favourites.

This may well be the origin of the heart pendant. Since it came to light, it has been spoken of as associated with Henry’s great pageant in the Pas-de-Calais in 1520, the so-called Field of the Cloth of Gold. Here he, Katherine and his court staged a ceremonial meeting with the French King, François I. A great many furnishings from the royal residences and chapels did cross the Channel to decorate the pop-up canvas palace and tents.

But I am convinced the message conveyed by this jewel is not political but profoundly personal. Toujours is an expression of deep, heartfelt attachment. An alternative theory, advanced by the British Museum itself, is that the pendant was made to mark the betrothal in October 1518 of Katherine’s only living child, Princess Mary, aged two, to the eight-month-old heir to the French throne.

But given the presence of pieces of very similar design in the royal household soon after the marriage and coronation, it must be possible that the pendant belongs to the early years of Henry and Katherine’s relationship. At first, she and the king were inseparable. Five months from the wedding she was pregnant. She conceived again each year from 1510 to 1513. One of these pregnancies resulted in a son, named Henry, born in January 1511. He lived for a little under two months.

In the late summer of that year, the king and queen embarked on a progress through the Thames Valley and on into the West Midlands, culminating at Warwick. It was in a Warwickshire field that the detectorist, Charlie Clarke, uncovered the heart pendant in 2019.

Could it be that a jewel gifted to Katherine at the time of the birth of Henry’s longed-for male heir was carried with the royal party – as so many of their personal jewels were – as they made their way into Warwickshire? It gives the locket an edge not just of romance, but of tragedy. Here, perhaps, Katherine was parted from a present that was, already, a memento mori of her lost son.

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Police say 72-year-old Jacqueline Ormes died at Royal Bolton Hospital last Thursday, February 12.

Officers say there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death and are appealing for members of the public to help them trace her family.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “Police are appealing for the public’s help to trace family of a woman from Bolton.

“Jacqueline Ormes (72) died at Royal Bolton Hospital on 12.02.2026.

Bolton Coroners’ Court (Image: Anthony Moss)

“There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.

“Anyone with information about Jacqueline’s next of kin should contact the Police Coroner’s Office in Bolton on 0161 856 4687.”

Police issue appeals like this to help them to find relatives of people who have died around the region.

Once the police have the details that they need, they will be passed along to the Coroner’s Office to let full cause of death be established.

In UK law, there is no legal definition of “next of kin”, but it is usually understood to be the closest relative, whether a partner, parent, child or sibling.

Anyone with any information can call the Police Coroner’s Office in Bolton on 0161 856 4687.

The newly released content takes the legendary strategy title to medieval South America, adding three new civilisations and three epic campaigns

Age of Empires II fans revelling in nostalgia have even more to enjoy with a new DLC.

Gamers who love the iconic 1990s PC game have been rewarded over the years with remasters of the beloved historical strategy series. But now, almost 30 years after the original Age of Empires II game first released, a new expansion has reason to keep fans coming back to the franchise.

The latest remaster, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, was called the ‘best version’ of the game by PC Gamer. Available not just on PC, but also Xbox and PlayStation, it has been updated with a number of DLC packs in recent years.

Yesterday (Tuesday, February 17) saw the launch of the latest update, The Last Chieftains. The new content includes three new civilisations to play as and new campaigns based in mediaeval South America.

The Mapuche, Muisca and Tupi join AoE, each with their own unique characteristics. Each one has its own campaign for players to enjoy.

Players choosing each new civilization will access their unique units, as always. The Mapuche offers melee cavalaryman the Kona and ranged cavalryman the Bolas Rider.

The Muisca’s Guecha Warriors are javelineers whose death heals other nearby Guecha Warriors, while the Temple Guard is a heavy infantryman that “attacks faster the longer it remains in combat”. Finally, the Tupi offer the Blackwood Archer, a ranged soldier trained in pairs, and the Ibirapema Warrior, a heavy infantryman who deals area damage.

The new campaigns are as follows:

Mapuche

• Lautaro: After witnessing his village’s destruction, the young warrior Lautaro vows revenge on the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia. Can Lautaro change his people’s fate by mastering Spanish tactics?

Muisca

• El Dorado: Commander Pacanchique is forced to pick a side between two powerful rulers, yet his true loyalty lies with his beloved Azay. Can Pacanchique protect her while surviving Muisca infighting and European incursions?

Tupi

• Arariboia: When a rival tribe threatens his people with extinction, chieftain Arariboia resolves to protect them at any cost. Will he be able to secure Portuguese aid and reclaim his people’s lost homeland?

An Xbox Game Studios spokesperson said: “We are thrilled to announce the next DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition – The Last Chieftains, is available now! Dive into medieval South America, where history and folklore combine in a vibrant and compelling expansion to present epic battles, riveting narratives, and endless intrigue.

“Plus, The Last Chieftains introduces three captivating new civilizations, each with their own unique units and technologies: Mapuche, Muisca, and Tupi. Whether you are a passionate historian, an admirer of compelling narratives, a longtime fan of the Age of Empires franchise, or all of the above – The Last Chieftains will bring you countless hours of joy and fun!”

The Last Chieftains is available on Steam for PC, Xbox Store for Xbox Series X/S and and PlayStation Store for PS5. It costs £14.99.